Click photo for a larger view. Photo courtesy of La Mirande Hotel.

La Mirande Hotel in Avignon, France

We arrived in Avignon two days before our 8-day Viking River Cruise on the rivers Rhône and Saône.

Arriving early allows us time to clear our heads from jet lag, as well as giving us the opportunity to preview luxury hotels for our clients and readers.

When visiting the fabulous city of Avignon, your absolute best choice for a luxury hotel in the historic center of town is the La Mirande Hotel.

We arrived to the La Mirande after dark, and made a beeline to our room to get some much needed shut-eye after our long journey from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Read all the way through. We’ve brought you an exclusive offer!

When we woke up in the morning, we found ourselves in one of the hotel’s deluxe rooms (pictured below).  Each of the rooms in the hotel boast a unique décor all designed to whisk you back into the days of the 18th-century French Enlightenment with fabulous wall hangings, fabrics, and silk-lined curtains.

Photo provided by the La Mirande Hotel

But, what really blew our minds was when we stepped through that patio door in the back of our room and found the impressive Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) overshadowing our terrace.

©2015, David A. Porter

Walking out onto our patio was akin to traveling back another 400 years into the 14th century.  Absolutely every perspective gave us rooftop views of preserved structures right out of the 1300s.  It really was a mind-boggling morning experience.  The photographer in me was having a glorious time, in spite of the clouds.

©2015, David A. Porter

Now, lest you worry that the interiors of the hotel resemble the protected exteriors found surrounding our patio, let me assuage your concerns.  The luxurious 5-Star La Mirande Hotel is part of our Virtuoso Best of the Best collection, and is certain to cater to the wishes and desires of today’s modern luxury traveler.

When we went downstairs for our breakfast buffet, we were offered seating in the dinning room, or a fabulous setting on the terrace.

Photographs courtesy of the La Mirande Hotel.

It’s quite lovely, don’t you think?

Here’s a few other photographic samples of the La Mirande Hotel that I think you’ll enjoy…

La Mirande Hotel Rose Gardens. Click photo for larger view. ©2015, David A. Porter

One of La Mirande’s Bedroom Suites. Click photo for larger view. Photo courtesy of La Mirande Hotel.

Common Meeting Area. Click photo for a larger view. Photo courtesy of La Mirande Hotel.

La Mirande Hotel – A Foodie’s Delight

Foodies will be delighted to know that the La Mirande Hotel is not just a pretty face in the historic center of Avignon.  It is also a culinary destination with a celebrated chef, a cooking school, and a highly touted chef’s table event.

Award-winning French Chef Jean-Claude Aubertin (pictured right) heads up The Restaurant where he serves guests a traditional “old-fashioned” style, a cuisine that is 100% French with only the freshest and best local ingredients.

And, if you time your stay right, you can also participate in La Mirande’s cooking school “Le Marmiton” which hosts the regions greatest chefs.  One week per month, the registrants of the cooking school will don aprons, grab their utensils and spec sheets and together start cooking over the hotel’s 19th-century wood stove.  And after the cooking is done, they’ll sit around the chef’s table to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Sounds like a blast.  Right?

Here’s a peek into the 19th-century kitchen…

Click photo for a larger view. ©2015, David A. Porter

Our visit didn’t coincide with the cooking school. But, we did get the opportunity to enjoy a delightful evening around the chef’s table.  Every Tuesday and Wednesday night, up to 14 guests can enjoy a fabulous experience breaking bread together as the chef works his/her magic cooking over the wooden stove, and stirring delectable foods in cooper pots.

Here, Séverine Sagnet, director of the cooking school, talks to us about the local asparagus as we sip piping-hot mushroom soup from our bowls.

Here’s a sample of one of the many courses that came our way.  YUM! YUM! YUM!


La Mirande Chef’s Table Event. Click on photos for larger view. ©2015, David A. Porter

As we awaited our dessert, Séverine lit a candelabra, sat it in the middle of the table and proceeded to serenade us with a lovely French ballad. And, much to the glee of us all, a husband and wife sitting at our table turned out to be respected opera singers and they gave us an impromptú rendition of a French operatic duet.  A very special evening indeed!

La Mirande Hotel – A Living Historical Monument

One of the reasons Carol and I just love traveling in Europe is the opportunity to experience properties like the La Mirande Hotel.  Its ancient walls hold history that spans millennia.  Originally, the La Mirande Hotel was a Cardinal’s Palace in the 14th century, and in the 17th century the ruins were restored to create a hotel.  In the late-1980s, the Stein family (the current owners) purchased the property and created this jewel of a property that exudes the atmosphere of an 18th-century aristocratic residence.

You don’t feel like you’re staying in a hotel.  You feel as though your best friends own a 28-room mansion, and you’re here with a collection of their friends to enjoy a fabulous time away.  Trust me, when it comes time to leave, you’re going to resist.  Heck, you might even whine a little.  I think I did.  🙂

If you find yourself in Avignon, France, we very highly recommend that you stay at the La Mirande Hotel.  Plus, look what we have for you below…

Exclusive VIP Perks for YOUR Stay at the La Mirande Hotel

When you book your stay through the Roaming Boomers Travel Services, we have complimentary perks to bring your way through our affiliation with Virtuoso®, the world’s leading international luxury travel agency network.

Plus, when you book your stay with us, you won’t pay a penny more than if you make the reservation yourself.

So here’s the $64,000 question: if you aren’t paying anything more for your stay, and we bring you our expertise and complimentary VIP amenities, why on earth would you consider trying to book this experience on your own?

Complimentary VIP Amenities

Take a peek at the complimentary VIP amenities we have for you when you book your stay with us:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Complimentary daily buffet breakfast, for up to two in room guests
• $100 USD Food & Beverage credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, no cash value if not redeemed in full).
• Early check-in/late check-out
  • subject to availability
• Plus, from time to time, we have further special offers on top of these great perks

To book your stay at the La Mirande Hotel, or to get your questions answered, call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request by clicking the red button below.

Disclosure: our stay was provided by the kind folks at the La Mirande Hotel. The Roaming Boomers maintains all publishing control and we’re happy to share our experiences with you without interference. We call ’em as we see ’em. Roaming Boomers Travel Services, is an Independent Affiliate of Cadence, a Virtuoso® member.

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